Hey
Zodiac Challengers, the wait is finally over... our mega playtest update has arrived!
As always, we'd like to start with a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the first playtest. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us refine
13Z: The Zodiac Trials. We’ve been hard at work polishing mechanics, fixing bugs and adding new content.
This update brings
co-op mode, a new playable character, more elemental powers, and even a glimpse of some of the Zodiac Guardians who will play a bigger role in the full game.
The 13Z Global Playtest 2 will be available to the public from
March 04 to April 06, 2025.
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⚠️ Playtest Reminder – Work in Progress! ⚠️[/h2]
Before we dive in, a quick reminder—
this is still a playtest, NOT the final version. Our goal is to share our progress with the community and improve the game based on your feedback.
Expect
bugs, the occasional frame drops, and some placeholder assets, but rest assured, we’ve put together
a solid build for you to enjoy. We've also compiled a list of
FAQs and Known Issues at the end of this post and are always happy to address any issues or answer your questions on our
Discord. :)
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Now, let’s talk about the exciting part![/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
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🏆 Co-op is Here – Team Up for the Trials![/h2]
The much-awaited 2-4P co-op is finally live! Now, you don’t have to take on the Zodiac Trials alone—bring your friends and conquer the challenges together.
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How to Access Co-op:[/h3]
- Co-op becomes available after your first visit to the village following your initial solo trial run.
- Activate it via the pause menu—you can create or join a team.
- Since we’re still testing the servers, we recommend playing with friends from the same region for a smoother experience.
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Play Together, Shape the Run[/h3]
Synergize your abilities – Find your role in the chaos! Whether you focus on damage, control, or defense, your team composition can change the course of each run.
Make collective choices – As a team, you’ll vote on some of the rewards and challenges that affect the whole team, shaping your journey through the Trials.
The Zodiac Trials weren’t meant to be easy, but with allies by your side, you might just make it through in one piece!
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🐦⬛New Challenger: Sylith the Raven[/h3]
A new challenger takes flight—
Sylith the Raven is finally leaving his cozy perch on the Teahouse rooftop and diving headfirst into the Trials!
After completing a few runs with Lyra as your starting character, you’ll unlock this elusive ranged fighter, whose mastery of flying daggers and aerial maneuvers lets him strike from a distance while staying one step ahead of his enemies.
Now, let’s take a closer look at his key abilities.
Primary Attack – A rapid series of dagger throws.
Secondary Attack – Conjure a spectral raven that bounces between enemies for extra hits.
Special Move – Unleash a storm of daggers from above, covering the battlefield.
If you prefer keeping enemies at a distance, Sylith is your guy.
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🦊 Lyra Unlocks a New Martial Arts Style[/h2]
Lyra isn’t about to let Sylith steal the spotlight—she’s stepping up her game with a new weapon that unlocks an entirely different Martial Arts Style. Once unlocked, you can swap weapons at the Armory near the Trial Gates in Turtle Village.
Her default sword,
Ruby Shadow, still delivers the crisp, fluid strikes you know and love.
But if you’re looking to expand her arsenal, unlocking her
Ethereal Sting sword at the Armory grants access to Phantom Dancer, a new Martial Arts Style that introduces spectral-infused attacks with a focus on speed and precision.
Some of her new abilities include:
Spinning Thrust – A spiraling charge attack that cuts through enemies in her path.
Spectral Piercing Strikes – A flurry of ghostly sword thrusts, delivering rapid, precise damage.
With Phantom Dancer, Lyra can shift between physical and spectral techniques, adding a whole new layer of versatility to her combat style.
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🌌 New Elements & Synergies[/h2]
Elemental Upgrades were a hit in the first playtest, and now we’re expanding the system with two new elements, more upgrades and synergies that combine their effects in creative ways.
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A Quick Breakdown of Elements available in this Playtest:[/h3]
- Heaven – Increases Critical Damage & Bonuses.
- Mountain – Boosts Armor & Stuns enemies.
- Fire – Deals Burn & Damage Over Time.
- Water – Slows enemies or Freezes them.
- Lightning – Chains damage between enemies.
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🌟 Synergies – Unleash Devastating Effects![/h3]
When two elements combine, they create a powerful passive effect.
Here’s an example:
Mountain + Fire = Meteor Crash: A fiery meteor descends upon enemies affected by Stun and Burn, dealing massive damage.
There are more synergies to discover, so experiment and find your ultimate elemental combo!
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🎨 Improved Environments & Visual Upgrades[/h2]
The world of 13Z is coming to life with more graphical improvements:
✔ More detailed levels with enhanced textures.
✔ Better water physics— water features now react to movement.
✔ Lighting and atmospheric tweaks to improve immersion.
While we’re still polishing things up, these upgrades bring more depth and atmosphere to the Zodiac Trials.
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Meet More Zodiac Guardians[/h2]
While the Zodiac Guardians have mostly watched from the sidelines, this playtest lets you interact with more of them.
One key figure you’ll meet is the Monkey Zodiac Guardian, the Keeper of Skill Manuals—his blessings unlock skill upgrades that will define your combat style.
Future Hint: While some Guardians offer guidance, others might not be so friendly in future updates. Better get to know them before you end up facing them in battle…[h2]
... As always, there's more!🏹[/h2]
There’s plenty more to experience in this update, but the best way to discover all the changes is to jump in and play!
Don’t forget to tell your friends about 13Z—the more feedback we get, the better we can shape the game. Your support means the world to us as an indie studio, and we truly appreciate every wishlist, share, and message of encouragement.
💬 Join the Discussion & Share Your Feedback!
Drop them in our official feedback form or our
Discord.
You can also find us on
Twitter | Tiktok | YoutubeCrafted with Love,Mixed Realms
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Frequently Asked Questions[/h3]
🙋Am I allowed to stream or share my gameplay of this playtest?Absolutely! Sharing your gameplay video not only helps us review feedback by watching your gameplay but also spreads the word about 13Z, which is a huge help to our team. Feel free to stream and post clips. :)
🙋Until when is the playtest available?The playtest will be open to the public from March 4 to April 6, 2025.
🙋I played Playtest 1. Will my save file carry over to Playtest 2? Playtest 2 brings significant changes, including new mechanics and structural updates, so progress from Playtest 1 will not carry over. In general, since we're still in the playtest phase and continuously refining the game based on feedback, save data resets are necessary to ensure a smooth experience with each iteration.
🙋Which platforms and controllers are supported? Does the game run on Steam Deck?13Z supports keyboard + mouse, Xbox One, Xbox 360, DualShock, and DualSense controllers. Most generic controllers also work natively or via Steam Input.
As for Steam Deck, while the game runs, we haven’t done extensive testing yet so official support is still pending.
🙋I encountered a bug! Where can I report it?The best place to report bugs is through our
Discordserver, where our team can quickly respond and categorize reports based on different issues.
We also added a list of known issues below with their corresponding fixes.🙋I have suggestions and feedback! Where should I share them?We’d love to hear your thoughts! You can submit feedback through our
official feedback form (which includes a free-text entry for detailed comments) or share your ideas in the suggestions section on our Discord.
🙋When is 13Z launching?We plan to go into Early Access first, but we don’t have a firm date yet. Hopefully this year! Be sure to wishlist and follow the game to stay updated on the latest news.
🙋Are you planning to add more languages?Right now, we support English, Chinese, and Japanese. We’re focused on finalizing content during the playtest period, so we don’t have immediate plans to add more languages just yet.
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Known Issues[/h3]
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Freezing at launch – We're loading a lot of things upfront to improve overall performance once the game is running—but that also means a longer startup time. To avoid crashes, please don’t click the window while the game is loading or if it looks frozen. We'll continue optimizing the game with each update.
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Multiplayer Lag – Co-op may sometimes experience latency. To minimize this, we recommend playing with teammates from the same region. While server regions are usually selected automatically based on ping, manually choosing your region can improve stability.
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Getting Stuck – We've swept through all colliders as thoroughly as possible. But if you find yourself stuck in a particularly tight spot (e.g. under terrain), pause the game and select "Unstuck" from the pause menu. This will return you to the map's original spawn point. If this happens, please share a screenshot in our Discord to help us investigate!
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Controller Issues - If your are running into issues with controller/keyboard/mouse especially during the onboarding tutorial, head to the main/pause menu->options->controls->restore default->save.
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Occasional Frame Drops – Some water-heavy areas or very flashy VFX may still cause occasional frame drops, but improvements are in progress.
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Missing SFX/VFX/Assets – Certain effects and assets are placeholders and will be finalized in future updates.
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Snake's Dreamland has leftover enemies – There is a 20% chance you might encounter the Snake's Dreamland challenge. A known bug sometimes leaves enemies behind, making them invulnerable to attacks. They also do not react, so you can simply collect your reward and leave. We're looking into this.
We're bringing this speed back!
Yeah, it still looks ugly *for now*. 
For example... we finally got cloth physics to work so those fast-paced movements will look a lot more fluid in the future! :D
Quality content at its peak >:D.